Serenity – Maintaining The Ramadan Spirit Interview Zaid Shakir

Assalamualaikum This is Yasmin Mujahid and you're listening to serenity streaming live on one legacy radio. We are very very pleased today to have Sheikh Zayed shakin with us Santa Monica mission said why

butylated Ramadan Mubarak and an early aid Mubarak to you and your family?

Ramadan?

I

inshallah, inshallah, I want to begin by by asking you, as you know, we are in the process right now of, of trying to gather support for this very, very noble

effort of in, you know, of the radio station, one legacy radio and infocus News. And I kind of, you know, I want to ask you what, why do you feel that that this effort of Muslim media is so crucial and important to our community.

Of course,

every Muslim knows that

the mainstream media does not represent Islam and Muslims in the best of light. And in fact, there are elements, we can't say it's universal, but there are definitely elements within the major mainstream media, especially radio, that are very openly anti Islamic that play a major role in cultivating a climate of hatred and fear

of an against Muslims, and, as a result, can even be linked to a lot of the violence that is increasingly afflicting the Muslim community, be that the burning down of massages, other acts of vandalism that are affecting massage it attacks on Muslims or people or people who the general public might view as being Muslim, such as the Sikh community because of the turbans. And we've seen the recent tragedy and in Wisconsin in that regard. So I think that we have to realize as Muslims, the only way we're going to push back is with our own media resources, you cannot fight institutionalized strength as isolated individuals, you have to fight institutionalized strength

with institutions of your own. So in the sense that media plays a major role in shaping perceptions about Islam and Muslims. as Muslims, we will have to develop our own media to begin to shape public perceptions ourselves, and to convey our message to the public at the same level of broadcasting, and messaging that we find in the mainstream media. So it's absolutely essential that we develop our own media resources and one legacy radio is a humble effort in that regard. And the fire community can

save one legacy radio, if we cannot even go beyond that and do whatever is necessary for you to grow and to prosper and to move from a an online media resource to an on the air

broadcasting Media Resource, then we're just not serious. When we say that, we need our own media resources, the media never gives us a break, etc, etc. So if we're serious about what we say in terms of how badly we need to combat the messaging, and the perception shaping that is done by the mainstream non Muslim media, we have to really dig deep and sacrifice and work hard to save and to create and to lead to help ensure the prosperity prosperity of our Muslim media resources. Absolutely. And diseko here, Amanda's aid for making that point I absolutely agree. It's, it's something where, you know, we may say that we, we need, you know, we need more Muslim voices in the

media and we, we say it, you know, theoretically and yet, this is our chance to really support an effort that's already on the ground. You know, one legacy is already you know, it's already happening and we have the

The the newspaper arm of that and infocus News. But this is our chance to really support and, and these efforts are all nonprofit, you know, they this they're completely, you know, listener supported and we need that support in order to really be, you know, to not be disingenuous in our in our complaint of the media because now we have something happening and we really, really need to support that. For those of you who are just tuning in, we are speaking with a man who has a check if a man has a check, it is an American Islamic scholar, and writer who is co founder with a meme Hamza Yusuf and Hatton beziehen, and faculty member of zaytuna College in Berkeley, California, and he

also teaches courses on Arabic law, history and Islamic spirituality. We are very pleased to have you with us today men's aid. And, and we are speaking today about the importance of having this voice in media. Unfortunately, it is very unfortunate, as as Amanda's aide had mentioned, that we have so many, you know, every time I open my email, I'm on the listserv for care. And it's just it's so sad, because every almost every day now, you know, you're seeing these, these subjects of, you know, a Muslim, a mosque was was, you know, vandalized or, you know, recently I got an email about some Muslim graves being vandalized. I mean, it's, it's very, very sad.

And, and I mean, I think that, that this, this, this, this climate, as you mentioned, of hate, a lot of it is driven by ignorance that we have, unfortunately, the media, like you said, has an agenda, what are some of the ways that you think we can, we can start to combat that?

Muslims, we've never been people to complain, but we've always historically been people of, of action. And so I think it's very important for us to see what we can do. So certainly, we can support initiatives such as one legacy radio, it's a humble initiative. But everything starts with a seed, I have in my backyard, a baby giant sequoia,

bought the seedling at the airport, and the thing was maybe three inches tall. And, and so a tree, I probably won't be able, if it survives, I'll never see what that evening will end up becoming. But if our current

environment in California, particularly as in the indication, if we go to

Yosemite or other areas, and we see 250 foot tall, giant sequoia trees with a diameter of 6070 or 80 feet at the base, then that that seedling is going to grow into something that's very mighty, and hopefully minor bonzai it won't get that big, and whoever lives in my house after me, but the point is, everything starts with a tiny seed. So one legacy radio is a seed. And we have to nurture that seed so that that seed becomes a sapling. And that sapling becomes a small book firmly rooted tree and that small tree grows into a mighty tree. So we have to nurture our institutions, especially our media institutions, each and every one of us have to be the very best Muslim we can be and make sure

that we're not feeding into any of the stereotypes that are being advanced by some elements in the mainstream media and other

means. So each and every one of us has to be a living embodiment of the negation of the message has been propagated about Muslims, you have to do people of integrity, we have to be people of character. We have to be present people following the way of our prophets a lie that will send them we have to treat people with the very best of character and character Holly can mess, the whole can happen. And we have to work we have to be workers. Silicon Dean didn't accomplish what he accomplished, without a tremendous amount of work, not only on his part, but on the part of many of the courageous people, a lot of them young people who followed him who left the dads left their

schools and were mobilized and go to the front to assist his efforts. So there was a lot of work and organizing and institutional building behind the effort of all we have to educate ourselves and educate the public and to do that we have to have strong educational institutions is the last one many people that before sulla had been

newly liberated Jerusalem, he liberated Egypt. And one of the first things he did after liberating Egypt was to revive and as our university. So and that became a center of learning. And that learning translated into an enhanced consciousness and that enhance consciousness translated into the desire to work hard to unite the Muslim man's to drive out the Crusaders and and to

build up Muslim institutions. So it's very important for us to to be workers. And it's very important for us to try to enhance our connection with Allah subhanho wa Taala. Because if all of us collectively are embodying a higher state of spiritual being, our very ontological state is enhanced, the more and more of us are in that position where a lot of time, which is in a handy full team and add anybody and pocket to Bill hub. And that was that in that state, where weather is the enemy, in that, in that state, of friendliness, of love, in that state, relationship of love with Allah subhanho wa Taala and near Eunice told us on wattpad, he says of my servant in that state

water asked me of anything, I would give it to him, whether, whether we, as an examiner, and if he or she wants to seek my protection, I will protect them. So those are things we can actively do, we can work on ourselves individually, to ensure we're the best Muslim that we can be that we're moving closer to a loss upon workers and we're entering into a relationship of love. And we lie with a lot Tyler, we can work to ensure that we're contributing to efforts to strengthen our community to build and develop strong institutions in our community, we can work and be actively engaged in interacting with our neighbors, without co workers with our fellow citizens with the very best of character, so

that when they need us, if they have these ideas in their heads, and these Muslims are violent, you can't trust them. They're lying is a part of their religion, and they meet you and they find a person with so much integrity, with so much character, depth and strength of character, that immediately their program is thrown into confusion. Or wait a minute, I thought these people were monsters. I thought these people were just hell bent on destroying us. That's one of the nicest people I've met this year. I don't even look at her big mesh.

There's a lot we can do in an active sense to really push back against a lot of the negativity that's out there. Absolutely. And just echolocate for that for that call that and that's exactly what we what we hope to be, you know, helping people to do here at one legacy radio is really, you know, to reprogram, you know, the, this, this Unfortunately, this this image that has been programmed in the minds of many people and also to strengthen us within you know, within our own communities as you spoke about So, you know, so eloquently about the need for our, for our state, to how our state is with Allah subhanaw taala and that nearness to Allah, that that is very much an

indication of what outcomes we end up having and in the success we end up having in our, in our communities and in our lives. And and and for this reason, you know, we hope that efforts like one legacy radio, and infocus News can can aid in that in that regard. We are hoping for example today our goal today is to get 10 100 members in order to become a member just click on the the red button above the player we really want to reach our goal today and we hope that together we can come together and we can do this you can become a member you know and help us to support this this effort and you can do this from anywhere in the world. Just click on the become a member link at the top

and one question that that a lot of people are asking you know as we are ending this blessing month shade is how do we continue the spirit of Ramadan and you know this new Uranus in this this state that we achieve during the month of Ramadan. How do we continue that after Ramadan has passed? I think is very important for us to realize as Muslims

that

going back to some of the bad habits we might have left for Ramadan and then abandoning the good habits we might have cultivated

in Ramadan in terms of our worship in terms of training at night attending the tarawih prayer in terms of trying to read through the Quran and complete a reading at least some people to three or four readings of the Quran that

it's thankfulness to a lot to continue those good habits some of them mentioned

concerning the end of the verse in the Quran and mentioned cefa Ramadan eligible to get a Fijian Quran at the end of the verse, Allah tala says one token on a death that to complete the designated term as a reference to Ramadan to complete the fasting complete the pm to the very end of the month complete and continue to recite the Quran right to the end of the month, because the month isn't over until we see the question of show when are those people rely on calculations until the show or the question is calculated to be possibly seen, or whatever means one uses. When we talked, we learned that you complete the period men comma Ramadan, whoever stands for prayer during the nights

of Ramadan, the entire month, woman farmout Ramadan whoever fast during Ramadan the entire month when he took him when he when he can can we rely on Allah had ericom and let you extol the greatness of a lot for what he has guided you to. So they say that's a reference to evil,

which we go out in the morning and we make tech beer and extolling the greatness of Allah Allahu Akbar. Well, I'm the contest guru, and in order that you will give thanks, and that's a reference to continuing to fast in the days of show as and the in the sense that

Nannan shook room and Jensen Nana, that the blessing is categorical, that the thankfulness rather is categorical to the blessing. And so we've enjoyed the great blessing of Ramadan, and the great blessing of fasting and the great blessing of n and the great blessing of being able to stand in prayer and to earn multiplied edger for all of that. And so our thankfulness is to continue those good habits after the month passes, to continue to fast. Six days of Sha well after that on Mondays and Thursdays, whatever, a lot of time to make it easy for us, but not to forget fasting until the next Ramadan to continue to engage with lokar n, and to study it and reflect on its meanings. And if

we don't understand Arabic to look for a good translation that can convey the meaning to us then look at the commentary and to see what various various scholars have said about the court and to continue the night prayer. If we can't gather, and the congregation to privately and individually try to continue the night prayer and to make the hedges or preemie lane a part of our regular ongoing regimen. So these are expressions of faithfulness, to a loss of parent of a toddler, and to meet them is to neglect conveying Our thanks to Allah subhanho wa Taala. So I think it's a believer looks at the situation in that light, I think he or she will be a lot more motivated to continue the

good habits, and the good practices that they have engaged in throughout the month, because they'll understand this is a form of faithfulness. And if we convey Our thankfulness as a lot, Tyler promises us and shall come to me as he then if you show your thanks, I would increase you and the blessings have conveyed has given you. So this is just an avenue for us to increase in increasing increase. But the key is thankfulness. And so if we can be thankful and understand that continuing these good things that we've undertaken in Ramadan are expressions of thankfulness. I think this will motivate us to keep going with enthusiasm. And not to see Ramadan as an end, or as the

beginning of show well as an end, but as a new beginning, that

really expresses a commitment and a change relationship between ourselves and

absolutely just echolocate. And you know, it brings to mind this, this idea of you know, even with with the creation between between people, you know, if you were to go to someone's house and and they were to offer you all these gifts and and offer you food, it would be considered rude to just take that food you know, eat the food, take the gifts and then run

out of the house right and like you know and not and not stay in and so that you know Spano Allah has given us so many gifts in Ramadan itself is one of the greatest gifts that Allah gives us and and you know it's kind of what we do is I think as soon as Ramadan or even before you know the night the day before aid it's kind of like okay we're out you know we've taken the food we've taken the gifts and we're out and it's it's it's it's considered like you said a lack of thankfulness that would be considered rude and you know not polite and not thankful that you're taking this this gift from as a guest and and then just leaving but but it's those people who are who are sticking around

and who want to continue to stay with a near to Allah subhanaw taala that really will benefit inshallah

we will inshallah to Allah and may we be among those who continue to the spirit of Ramadan even after it's passed inshallah to Allah Ameen we will take a short break right now and when we return we'll continue with a memes a check in on how to continue and you know, continue growing in the spirit that we that we gained during Ramadan.

Somebody called him and said why

why he will buy a cat. So we are just we're going to be going live in about two minutes inshallah. And yeah, is there anything you want me to mention or anything to do differently?

Okay.

Okay, I called you shift and I I know you go by Mmm. But I feel that you are shift. So I hope that's okay.

You can call me whatever. You still call me late for dinner.

Late for.

Exactly. Yeah, that'll be bad.

Shall okay. So what what projects are you working on right now?

Right now we're working on the United for change, trying to get that

consolidated get the publicity, especially in the new york new jersey Connecticut area. I'm working on a

in conjunction with an individual in Pakistan, we're working on a

a

sort of a worker training seminar. Oh, Michelle are incorporating he's bringing in the business side, like sort of best practices in terms of organizational structure and

team building

the religious side of the project, so a lot.

And it's a major initiative and he has a lot of support for the former colleague who's moved back to Pakistan with his family. Okay.

Doing these seminars and so working on that, and just getting ready for the new semester. Because all of our courses we have to develop pretty much from scratch.

Trying to bring in the Islamic elements with the

the sort of

standard iteration of the courses and especially the the social science ones, right, it takes a lot of work to develop the courses. Yeah.

May Allah bless your efforts. Do you want do you want to mention you know, like the United for Change Conference or anything, you know, you want to mention

at the end, okay, okay, inshallah, we'll be going live shortly. 30 seconds inshallah. inshallah, okay.

How long is the program? We'll be going for maybe another 20 Minute. 25 minutes. Is that okay? Or 20? Well, actually, I'm in Arizona. Oh, the Juma here is at 1245. Okay. I think and maybe about 15 minutes.

Okay. Absolutely. Then the patient okay. No problem. No problem. Okay.

Assalamu alaikum This is Jasmine Raja head and you're listening to serenity streaming live on one legacy radio. We are very pleased to have him as a check in with us today. And we are speaking about how can we, you know, continue this, this momentum this spiritual momentum in this that we that we created now that we have had during that

The month of Ramadan that hopefully we have had and how do we continue it after Ramadan has passed? Mm hmm. Zaid has been, you know, very gracious in giving us some advice about that. We are also, you know, we are we're asking our, you know, our listeners to support this effort to support the radio station to support one legacy radio as well as infocus News. By becoming a member. We are trying we are our goal for today is to have 100 new members and we hope that inshallah you can help us in that effort by clicking on the button above the player. One thing that I wanted to also speak to you mm Zaid about is, is this concept of silica jatiya does that is that something, you know, in talking

about the things that that the prophets I seldom mentioned, can can continue to benefit us in our grave? Would you say that this isn't, you know, like a cause that could could potentially be one of those.

Absolutely. And before going into that, I just want to reiterate how important it is, for the listeners to become members of the radio station is members and supporters. This is listener sponsored radio. So we really need you to hit that red button, and become a member. and bless all of those who have taken time from their busy day to log on

the southern edge area, definitely, support of initiatives such as this, qualify as an ongoing charity, because

the station inshallah will endure,

and as it endures, a continues to end to earn reward for those who help to make his perpetuity possible. So it's also an involved educational programming, programming that conveys to the believers vital, important information about the religion that can enhance their practice of the religion. And in that sense,

the the students who are benefiting from the messages of one legacy radio, they become, as it were the children of those who support the radio station. And so there you are, when the handys have this sort of agenda, the three things that benefit the child of Adam after

his passing, or her passing from the world, sadaqa, jariya, and ongoing charity, money they spent that continues to benefit people. So someone contribute to the service station today. And the station continues to provide benefit to people tomorrow after that person has passed away, it's the son of kajaria. Now, and then it mentions

a righteous child or illenium capital D knowledge that is, continues to be benefited from so as we said, the programming contains, in many instances, indirectly, and in other instances, directly the conveyance of knowledge about our religion. And so as long as that knowledge is benefited from by the listeners of the radio station, then that continues to earn the benefit for the person who has supported the station. And the final one already didn't follow him yet. rula, a righteous child that prays for the person who has spent or contributed

to their enrichment. So as we mentioned, those people who listen and especially the young people, and they benefit and the programming enhances their Deen and enhances their humanity enhances the way that they interact with each other and enhances their ability to present a positive image of Islam. And then that person prays for those who help to make that possible.

That prayer will benefit the ones who helped to make it all possible. So this is a tremendous opportunity for those listening to do tremendous good for their soul to do ongoing good for their souls that will benefit them well into the future. So a lot of very generous and to do that in Ramadan, where the reward is multiplied. So you become a member now you make a contribution. Now, those of you who are listening, the reward for that is rewarded like any other good deed and Ramadan in the sense that its reward is multiplied, and the reward that benefits others is even greater than the reward who's in the immediate benefit is combined, confined to ourselves. So as the scholars

debate

Who is better and faster? You're on Savio, oh, Ronnie and Shaq is a poor person who patiently and with dignity and doors his or her poverty or a rich person who expresses the thanks so long for his or her wealth by sharing that with others, and they say the botany and shakin is better. And because the faqeer and salvia, the poor person whose patient, his or her benefit is generally confined to themselves. Whereas the ronnie and Shakir of the rich person who was thankful and shares his or her welfare benefit, benefits, the charity benefits themselves, and it transfers the others. And so it touches and benefits others so what you do, and supporting the station to something that benefits

others somehow can inspire everyone listening to become a member, and to do ongoing good for your soul to engage in Nigeria

does echolocate and that's and that's exactly what we what we hope people will do and take advantage of, of this holy month of Ramadan where everything is multiplied. And one thing also to keep in mind is that even just $10 a month, really can go a very long way. In terms of supporting the station Not only does Allah subhanaw taala multiply even a small effort, Allah subhanaw taala can multiply but this you know, this amount, even just $10 a month really does, can really go a long way for the radio station. So we asked you to please become a member, even if it's just 10 giving $10 a month, again, keeping in mind that that is you know how much that is, in terms of you know, this is we go

out for lunch once we spend $10. But this is just $10 a month. And so, you know, this is something that very small sort of effort from us, but it can have a very large effect in terms of supporting this very important effort. We have a question for you. mm Zaid in the chat box. And so I will go ahead and read that. It says, Chef, do you have any suggestions for my new blog, I want to share with non Muslims that Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam is not only our Prophet, but also there's

excuse me,

just explaining the idea of the limited Gallus to people that the prophet SAW Selim was sent to all of humanity

after the advent of his of his mission, and those who respond, the respondent to like each other, but is sending the few he's been recruited to everyone. And then to I think you can explain one of the proofs of the universality of his mission and his call, and his message is the universality of the response, in a sense that if you look at everything on the religion is generally

regionalised. So Christianity is confined to Western Europe and then the European settler states such as America, Canada, Australia, and former European colonies, particularly in Latin America, but it's really the root and the source of his identity is with with Europe, or European settlers state and wisdom is generally identified with the Indian subcontinent. Buddhism is generally identified with the the Far East, Japan or China or Thailand, Burma, and those states of the Far East.

animism is generally identified with the African continent, whereas its them is readily identified with African,

Asian with the Far East, Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines.

With

Central Asia, the leaders and the the the state and Muslim states of Central Asia that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

will harder from our ponds. And those areas is identified with Europe with both snail with Albania and other with formerly the Iberian Peninsula, during the time that Islam prevailed in the Iberian Peninsula, the current home of Spain and Portugal, the overwhelming majority of Muslims or European converts and their and their descendants. So it's identified

With, of course, Arabia, and the heartland current heartland of Islam, so it's them has had a universal response from Africans, from Asians, from Europeans, from

people all over all over the world, and that's an indication of the universality of this message. So there are many things that the

questioner might point out. But I think the most important thing is to make sure

your blog is well researched. And that is solid information. And that is presented in the very best of ways so that people associate that particular blog was excellent,

both in terms of the quality of information and then the quality of the presentation. The law had kept them from a

excellence and everything Caracalla feek does echo here and we again, we want to encourage every you know, all the listeners to please support this effort, we need your support, we are looking to to get 100 members, by the end of you know, by the end of the show today, please do become a member again, $10 a month, you know, less than $1 a day of can really go a long way for for supporting this effort, please share the the cause with others, your friends and your family. And and inshallah We hope that this this effort is you know, one of those, those final things that we can do before the month of Ramadan, passes away and we know that during this month, our deeds are multiplied by Allah

subhana wa tada and his mercy. So this is our, our last one of our last opportunities to do these deeds for the sake of Allah. And ultimately, as the shift mentioned, that this is something that can can continue to benefit us even in our graves, after we've passed away as a sada jatiya. This is a charity that inshallah will continue to benefit others as you invest in these institutions. And these very much desperately needed institutions. We need a Muslim voice in in media, we need a platform, and this is your chance to support it. I want to thank Amanda Zaid, check and for joining us today does echolocate Shere

Khan and I apologize, I have to leave early, but I'm currently in Arizona and the Juma here is at 1245. They're on West Coast time, they don't have daylight savings time. So the sun is, is in a position where the prayer is coming in right now. So again, it's a great honor great pleasure to share the mic with our dear sister and scholar in her own right Yasmin jacket. And I will be together with her in Charlotte, September 29 in Stamford, Connecticut at the United for Change program. So we encourage everyone to go to the United exchange website and get information about our program. They're united against poverty. So we really look forward to an exciting program there. And

I hope that all of you who are listening, especially those on the East Coast, we'll be there will join us there. But in the meantime, support one legacy radio, tell your friends about the radio station, there's a wonderful programming and the disinhibition to assist there yes means program. There are a variety of very informative and engaging programs on the radio station. This is our this belongs to our community, we have a collective responsibility to build it up. You know, we cannot complain, as we mentioned at the onset about what we lack, either we're part of the solution, or to our apathy. And our inaction we're part of the problem is that simple. So this is an opportunity,

one legacy radio is an opportunity for us to be part of the solution. So we encourage all of our brothers and sisters who are listening to become members. Thank

you so much for having us on today. Thank you.

And we wish you continued success in all of your endeavors, literary, educational, parental, whatever

you might be involved in,

does echolocate And may Allah bless all your efforts and we really appreciate your time. inshallah you have a blessed day eat and to this blessed month, Salaam Alaikum.